Ohio State travels up the state to Evanston, Ill., to take on Northwestern at noon ET Sunday.

The Buckeyes (8-13, 3-5 Big Ten) were victorious in three singles contests, but were unable to earn a fourth to upset the Illini (14-6, 6-2 Big Ten) who opened the match by winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead.

Illinois claimed the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. The Buckeyes’ No. 2 doubles team of Kara Cecil and Kelsey Dieters rallied back from a 7-4 deficit against Rachael White and Amy Allin to tie the match at 7-apiece. After the teams exchanged games, the Buckeyes claimed the tiebreaker, 7-5, to take the match.

Sophomore Tiffany Dittmer tied the match at 1-1 with a 7-5, 6-1 win on court six, but the Illini responded by taking decisions on courts one and four before Buckeye junior Gabby Steele moved the score to 3-2 with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Illinois’ White on court five.

The Illini’s Melissa Kopinski clinched her team’s win with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Cecil on court two. Junior Fidan Manashirova rallied from a first-set loss to take down Lambropoulos, 2-6, 7-6, 1-0, on court three to earn the Buckeyes’ third singles win of the match.